Pitch Black
by Navari
Summary: Inuyasha looked on hesitantly at Kagome as she lowered her goggles and stared into the black mist of shapes that the alien creatures formed. Then she answered him slowly. "Like I said, it's not me you're going to have to worry about anymore..." Inu/Kag
1. Precious Cargo

I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters  
  
Hey everyone, dragondiva88 here! In case any of you know me, I am in the process of writing "The Thorn" I am not done with it yet, but I just had to write this. This is a fic based upon the movie "Pitch Black" with Vin Diesel. It has the same storyline, but I changed the words around and some of the characters too. You may think that Inuyasha is going to be John Riddick, but he is not. Kagome is going to play the wanted murderer, not him. Scary, right? Well, anyway, I think you people will like this one. (^_^)  
  
Pitch Black  
  
Chapter 1: Precious Cargo  
  
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The flight had been smooth, except for the minor turbulence and space dust on the hull of the ship. The Shikon was well known for its stability and its sturdiness, but today the legendary ship had a new captain. Inuyasha was on his first special mission with the Earth Protection Forces, and he was scheduled to drop off some passengers at a resort planet, followed by a final departure to an asylum on planet Terre. Sure, he was used to the ordinary pilot flights that he got occasionally, but he was always under supervision from a superior. This time, he was entrusted with something very important, but was told not to look in the cargo bay until the final departure.  
  
His co-pilot, Kikyo, was currently rambling off the ship's standings, which was standard protocol in the Force, but quite boring at the same time. Kikyo's monotone voice and bored tone was beginning to grate on Inuyasha's nerves, and he was gripping the controls a bit harder than usual. His nails were making scratch marks in the expensive metal and plastic frame, but this went unnoticed by Kikyo, who simply kept reciting the words by the book. She was used to his behavior.  
  
Kikyo and Inuyasha had been together since they were freshman in college. It fascinated her that a hanyou such as Inuyasha could have gotten into a college at first, but as she got to know him, she began to understand why he was so qualified. Inuyasha, however, saw nothing that fascinated him about Kikyo. He had hoped, in vain, that he would be able to get away from her after he got out of that hell of a college. She had other plans, however. She climbed the ranks as fast as he did, constantly nipping at his heels at every turn. He could not stand her in the least bit, but it seemed it was the opposite in her case.  
  
"Now it is your turn to recite, Inuyasha, remember?" Kikyo said at last. Inuyasha sighed exhaustedly, before doing as he was told.  
  
"All ventilation systems and air flow chambers are operational. All system checks have been completed and all inspections have been made. You happy now? Kikyo pouted and crossed her arms.  
  
"I don't know why you find it necessary to be so cross with me all the time, Inuyasha. I was simply following protocol. . ."  
  
"I don't care, Kikyo. You know damn well why I am so cross with you so do not play dumb." he said bluntly, not making eye contact with her. She huffed and stared straight ahead. This trip was going to take three weeks to accomplish. Inuyasha's dog-like ears drooped in annoyance as he recalled this highly disturbing fact. He needed to walk and clear his head, so he asked Kikyo to take over for him while he checked on the passengers.  
  
He knew all of the passengers simply by their information cards, in which he had taken the liberty of memorizing. They were all in sleep portals, which would make it easier to transport them. They sat in a circular pattern, all of their heads facing the middle of the passenger designated area, or the PDA.  
  
The priest was the first one that Inuyasha came to. The man's name was Miroku, and he was dressed in his traditional robes, a look of peace on his face. Inuyasha wondered what he was thinking about, but moved on to the next.  
  
A small boy was next, Shippo if Inuyasha remembered correctly. He had to be at least twelve years of age, and was a demon- a full one, unlike Inuyasha. His claws reflected this. His mouth was twitching in his sleep, and his eyes were blinking while closed.  
  
The next passenger was a woman, about Kikyo's size and build, but much nicer looking. Kikyo had a sharp look to her, while this woman had the look of a warrior. Sango was her name, and she was one of the passengers assigned to guide the others while on the planet.  
  
The final two passengers were small boys, apprentices of the priest, it seemed. They were wearing the same garb as Miroku, and they were human as well. They appeared to be brothers, and their names were Hiten and Manten. They were about the same age as Shippo.  
  
Just then, Inuyasha smelled a strange presence onboard. The smell was of smoke and something spicy, but of something more delicate as well, and it was coming from the cargo bay. He was about to investigate what the scent was from, but the ship shuddered violently, causing him to lose his balance. He cursed and ran as quickly as he could towards the cockpit, where Kikyo was busy struggling to get the ship under control.  
  
"What is going on, Kikyo, and why didn't you call me?" he shouted at her.  
  
"Meteor shower, captain, and I thought I could handle It.," she shouted back. Inuyasha looked out of the window ahead of him, watching in horror as meteors the sizes of elephants were hurtling towards them. He pushed Kikyo out of the way, taking the controls once more in desperation. Kikyo ran back to check the passengers, and then ran back to the cockpit to speak with Inuyasha. The ship lurched again, this time throwing Kikyo against the wall.  
  
Inuyasha knew there were only two options- one was to try to find a planet to land on in the area and two . . . well two was to deploy the PDA and kill everyone on board fast and quick, making the deaths as painless as possible. Inuyasha somehow knew that the first option was out, but his mind would not let him proceed. He searched frantically with the radar for somewhere to land, but unbeknownst to him, his hand was slowly making its way to the eject lever next to his seat. Kikyo came running through the door.  
  
"Inuyasha, you can't do this!" Kikyo screamed.  
  
"We have no other option, Kikyo! At least this way, they will die peaceful- "  
  
Kikyo grabbed his hand away from the control before he had time to finish, and the ship lurched again, this time going into a spiral downwards and deescalate rapidly. The swift change in altitude plus the trauma to the head caused both Inuyasha and Kikyo to go unconscious. The Shikon lurched one final time, creating a hole in the hull. The hole slowed down the ship enough to steady its path and let it plummet to the ground below. A planet showed from the distance, and the ship was headed right towards it.  
  
As the Shikon plummeted, the rocks and stones that littered the ground flew up and hit the windshield, breaking it beyond recognition. Inuyasha and Kikyo were scratched by broken glass and stray rocks, but remained unconscious. Then, the craft stopped, jolting the sleeping passengers and the two in the cockpit awake instantly.  
  
Inuyasha shook his head, immediately regretting doing so, for his head was pounding furiously. Kikyo was shaken awake also, but her injuries were far less extensive. She gave Inuyasha a passing, disappointed look, and then hurried to check on the passengers.  
  
Inuyasha followed close behind her, not knowing quite what to do. He had gotten them into this mess in the first place, and somehow, he was going to save them.  
  
"Inuyasha, go check in the cargo bay . . . and bring a gun with you." Kikyo told him. He was confused, but he complied and got the largest gun he could find. Now he was going to find out what that smell was from before.  
  
When he reached the entrance to the cargo bay, his head was swimming. He could smell no blood, but that did not lessen his fears. Whatever was back there was dangerous. He drew his gun, and pointed to where he saw something move in front of him. Then he gasped at what he saw.  
  
"Have we landed yet, Captain Inuyasha?" 


	2. The Mysterious Murderer, Kagome

I do not own Inuyasha or any characters depicted in this story.  
  
Dragondiva88 here! To respond to my first review, yes, I do believe that Inuyasha would value the passengers' lives more than I made it seem, but if you have ever seen the movie, the Captain was forced to make the same decision, to which she came to the same conclusion. In addition, yes, I did switch the genders around for the main characters. I think it made it more interesting. Anyway, thank you for the review, and I hope to hear more from you, as well as all of my reviewers, in the future. (^_^)  
  
Pitch Black  
  
Chapter 2: The Mysterious Murderer, Kagome  
  
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It appeared as if a prison transportation cell had been completely broken through. The air tubes and respirator were missing, as well as the passenger themselves. Inuyasha lowered his gun in awe, not noticing the shadow moving about above him. It seemed that he had not heard the calm question that he had been asked before, which was even more to her advantage. The unseen stalker moved about above his head, watching carefully.  
  
'This one is cuter than I thought. . ." she judged. She sighed and dropped her legs down around his neck quickly. She tightened her grip, making Inuyasha gag and claw uselessly at her feet. She had done this too may times before, and she had begun to enjoy the rush. She smiled, until she heard the power up of a gun below her. She turned to face the noise, still not letting go of her soon to be victim. Kikyo stood there with her gun drawn.  
  
"Let him go, you wench." Kikyo's voice dripped with malice, and Kagome scowled. She just HAD to ruin her fun. She dropped him, watching him drop limply to the floor, and then she came down from the rafters after him. She eyed Kikyo warily before putting her hands up and smiling dangerously.  
  
"Well Kikyo, it seems you've caught me again. No surprise there, I suppose." Her voice was calm and smooth, as it had been before, but this time it was strong and daring as well. Kikyo walked up to her casually, dropping her gun and smiling as she did so.  
  
"You've got some nerve doing this to me now, Kagome." Kikyo smirked and Kagome smiled her dangerous smile once more.  
  
Kikyo and Kagome had crossed tracks once before, when Kagome had been at large for her first murder. They both hated each other immensely, but they still joked around a bit when the time was right. Kagome smiled as Kikyo tried to tie her to the main ventilation tube with a metal chain.  
  
Suddenly, Kagome spun around, using the air tubes and respirator to flip the gun in Kikyo's hands into her own, without a hint of effort. She pointed the gun at Kikyo and chuckled.  
  
"You should really be more careful with your weapons, good lieutenant." She pulled the trigger, knowing very well that there were no bullets in the gun in the first place. She watched Kikyo flinch as the gun clicked harmlessly, and then laughed hard when she covered her face in defense. Kikyo recovered from the shock quickly, and grabbed the gun again. Then she proceeded to tie Kagome to the main ventilation tube. Kagome did not resist this time. Then Kikyo tugged the chain, making sure it was stable, and then saluted before dragging Inuyasha out into the PDA.  
  
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Inuyasha was dizzy when he woke up, and he clutched his head to try to regain his bearings. Kikyo had gotten most of the passengers awake, but had left him to sleep, knowing he would be fine. Inuyasha noticed she was eating something, and then looked around at the passengers.  
  
The monk, three children, and the warrior were all looking at him expectantly, wondering what he would do next. He growled at them, making the children in robes cower, and the third one roll his eyes. That one would be a nuisance to him. He approached Kikyo cautiously, so that he would not lose his temper so quickly. He had a habit of doing that.  
  
"What happened to me, Kikyo?" he asked, grinding his teeth.  
  
"You were knocked out by our last passenger. I told you to bring a gun, you idiot." she retorted.  
  
Inuyasha was thoroughly confused now, refusing to believe that what he had thought he had seen had been real.  
  
"Why wasn't I told about this 'final passenger', Kikyo?"  
  
"She is top secret. The board was afraid that you would take some stupid risks." she replied breezily. Inuyasha was outraged, but it did not show, and he scratched his head. He looked out the window, finally realizing where they were- an alien planet . . . a barren, desolate alien planet. He looked at the passengers, noticing that the nuisance of a child was missing. He glared out the window, seeing that the kid was outside. Then, he bolted for the door.  
  
"Do you have any idea what you could have done, you little brat?" Inuyasha yelled.  
  
"Geez, why do you have to yell? I was just looking outside for a minute!" Shippo yelled back. They continued to argue, until Sango, the warrior woman, stepped outside as well. The horizon was bleak, and the sun . . . or suns as this planet had, harsh. The planet was a desert, and nothing more. She covered her eyes, and breathed in deeply. At least the air was breathable.  
  
Inuyasha picked Shippo up, holding him by his tail at eye level. Then Kikyo stepped out of the ship, and eyed Inuyasha exhaustedly.  
  
"Inuyasha, don't you want to speak to the woman who almost killed you today?" she yelled.  
  
Inuyasha turned and growled, and dropped Shippo unceremoniously to the ground, creating a cloud of dust. He then pushed past Kikyo, who knew that he was now going to let his anger out on Kagome. He pushed past the priest and his two apprentices, not caring that they were trying to confront him about the welfare of the ship. He closed the door to the cargo bay, and locked it to prevent any unwanted confrontation.  
  
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Inuyasha was too angry to worry about bringing a weapon, for his life and career had just ended quite quickly. He stomped over to the main ventilation tube, where Kikyo had instructed him to go. As he made his way to his destination, however, he came to a startling conclusion. He had heard the name Kagome before. When he was just starting out in the Force, a notorious murderer by the name of Kagome had made a name by slaughtering entire families, including her own. He shuddered at the thought. He also remembered that she was a full demon, unlike him. That meant that he would have to be extra careful around her.  
  
Inuyasha turned around, grabbing a gun from a nearby shelf, and held it in front of him defensively. He tried to convince himself that he would not need it, but that thought just kept flying right out the window. He thought of anything to try to comfort himself as he took step after shaky step towards the tube. He also tried to prepare himself for her hideous ugliness. Scars, bloody patches, and tattoos were what awaited him in Inuyasha's mind. No woman murderer could be pretty under such circumstances.  
  
He turned the final corner, and his mind blanked as he saw her sitting there. Only one thought circulated in his mind.  
  
'God I wish they had showed a picture of her on the news. . .' 


	3. Kagome's Day Out

I do not own Inuyasha or any characters depicted in this story  
  
Dragondiva88 here! Thank you so much for the reviews! I feel so loved (^_^) Anyway, this is Inuyasha and Kagome's long-awaited meeting! Sorry all you Inu/Kag haters, but I am a die-hard Inu/Kag fan. Do not ask me why, I just am. . . . Anyway, on with the fic!  
  
Pitch Black  
  
Chapter 3: Kagome's Day Out ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The first bead of sweat made its way down Inuyasha's forehead, but he just continued staring. How could a convicted killer be this beautiful? She had long slender legs that were concealed in black, skin-tight pants and black combat boots. Her skin was pale, but blemish-free, and glowing eerily in the lack of light. Inuyasha was stunned as she flexed her claws experimentally.  
  
"It isn't polite to stare at a woman like that, you know." she said without looking up. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black goggles, and it was hard to determine what emotions were being displayed. Inuyasha was strangely soothed by the sound of her voice, no matter what she had said. It was strong, yet melodious, and it reminded him of roaring thunder. She finally looked up when he had continued staring and cocked her head at him, her ebony hair falling down her shoulders.  
  
"Do you like what you see?" she asked teasingly. Inuyasha flinched and then squinted, but then regained his composure when he was reminded of why he was there in the first place.  
  
"I, Captain Inuyasha, command you to tell me why you attacked me earlier." Inuyasha clenched his fists, silently cursing her for making him feel so stupid.  
  
"Oh, well that was dominating. I like that in a man." She was still teasing him, and he knew that, but he blushed anyway. He began to grind his teeth again, making sure not to let her know how he was feeling. All the while, she retained that smug smile.  
  
"Okay doggie-boy, you're the captain, you figure it out. After all, I know already that you're a wiz at strategic plans, wouldn't you agree?" He grimaced at her reference about the bad decision he had made earlier.  
  
"I will not die for them." Inuyasha said through clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh, is that the reason . . . and they called me a murderer for agreeing with that thought. How tragic. . ." Out of reflex, Inuyasha lunged forward, slicing the top of the main ventilation tube out of anger. Her voice had been smooth and calm throughout the discussion, and it hid the underlying disdain for him well. How he hated it. Her claws flexed again while in the chain manacles, and she crossed her legs.  
  
Inuyasha wanted desperately to know what her eyes looked like, since they were the only part of her that remained a mystery to him. He was also starting to sweat under her scrutiny, afraid that she would smell his fear. She did, and she liked it.  
  
"Now seeing as I will not answer your question is there anything else that you need to discuss?" she asked, feigning innocence.  
  
He shook his head rather roughly, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. She bared her teeth menacingly.  
  
"Then go away." she growled. Inuyasha jumped back, startled by her change. She had been calm and collected before, but now she was simply radiating bad waves and feelings. Then she smiled and began to laugh at his face.  
  
"I knew you were lying. Better ask your question quick, hanyou, before I lose my temper." She leaned back expectantly, waiting for his reply.  
  
"Alright . . . why did you kill all of those people?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"That is something I will take with me to the grave." She was solemn about that topic for a moment, before adding something.  
  
"I would, however, gladly do it again."  
  
Inuyasha cringed, but nodded, staring at her goggles once more.  
  
"Can I see your eyes?" he asked. Kagome's smile vanished, and she nodded. Inuyasha moved closer to her, taking one side of the goggles in each claw and pulled them off.  
  
Her eyes were black and lifeless, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. They held a glossy sheen, which caught the light reflectively, making them resemble that of an animal. Inuyasha had never seen such eyes, and they entranced him. He was speechless, and Kagome, not showing any sign of weakness, bored into his eyes, making him feel uneasy. He put her goggles back on and rushed out. All he heard as he left was the sound of her maniacal laughter echoing behind him.  
  
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Inuyasha came face to face with Kikyo as he rushed out of the cargo bay, and she was buffing her nails as he watched her, and gave him a look that seemed to say, 'I told you so'. Inuyasha growled and began to walk past her, before turning to look at her questioningly.  
  
"How do you get eyes like that?" Kikyo stopped, looking thoughtful for a moment before answering.  
  
"Plasma rays. She got them while she was at large so that no one could sneak up on her in the dark. She can see in the dark quite well, but any strong light will injure her dramatically."  
  
Inuyasha looked at the floor, seemingly deep in thought. He shifted uneasily once more, but then he and Kikyo left in order to explore the planet that they were going to call home for a while.  
  
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The passengers were already outside, baking in the hot sun. Miroku was teaching his apprentices about what their Lord had to give them, and Sango and Shippo were scouting the area for any signs of life. Miroku, being fed up with looking for nothing, decided to go raid the sip for his liquor supply. He left his apprentices in the care of Sango and the others, and then scampered off to the sleep pod in which he had been.  
  
He lifted up the false bottom of the pod, showing his prized collection, which he whipped out of hiding immediately. Suddenly this world did not seem so bad. He also managed to find a beach chair and an umbrella that he had brought along for his vacation, and back outside he went.  
  
To Sango's knowledge, Miroku's teachings were a load of rubbish. He was the kind of man who cared about a woman's body more than her brain, and she had decided from day one that she would stay well away from him. She also knew that he was a heavy drinker, which coincidentally did not conflict with his so-called religion. What an idiot.  
  
"We have to look around for some sort of shelter besides the ship. It might not be the most stable of habitats in the future." Inuyasha commanded. The others complied, each one moving out in a different direction, but staying well within the ship's range. Miroku and his pupils found it much more entertaining to watch them look then to help them. Therefore, they kept themselves occupied.  
  
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Kagome sat restlessly within the confines of the ship, staring at a blank wall that seemed to be of more interest than anything else was. She sighed, but kept her sharp, demon ears trained to the outside crew. She smiled, knowing finally that they had all left the ship. She looked up to where Inuyasha had sliced the pipe that she was tied to, the fool. She unhinged both shoulders carefully, making sure that she would be able to reach up to the space between the metals of the tube.  
  
The chain around her hands fit through the gap perfectly and her shoulders made a loud crunching sound from being bent in the wrong direction. She got up, and broke the chain easily, allowing her arms to windmill into a comfortable position once more. She dropped the chain to her side, allowing her eyes to scope out her surroundings. They trailed over to a shelf by the doorway. That, if her memory served her correctly, was where they had taken her trademark knife and stashed it.  
  
She had made that knife out of the bones of her victims, each part being a different person. It was long, about ten inches, and she easily slid it into the holster on the side of her pant leg. The gleefulness in her expression faltered for a minute as she remembered them, all of them. Her victims, her prizes-she remembered them all. This made her smile.  
  
A gun on her side was easily positioned in her belt alongside the knife. She was going to have a lot of fun with them, especially that Inuyasha person that she liked to toy with. Either way, she would have fun exploring this planet no matter what. Her flawless skin was bright against the black weapons and clothing she wore.  
  
'Yes', she thought, 'What fun I will have with them. . .'  
  
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Inuyasha and Kikyo were on a large rock formation, starting to look out along the perimeter. Miroku had decided to stay back at the ship, while Shippo, Sango and the others had decided to tag along. Inuyasha could not even imagine what Miroku would get into after having a few drinks, but Sango reassured him that Miroku could take care of himself.  
  
The landscape was vast, but barren, and it left the group full of hopelessness.  
  
"That's it! We're screwed!" Shippo yelled. "We're never going to get off of this stupid planet and we're all going to burn up like dry toast in a toaster!"  
  
"Shut up, you little brat! We don't need this right now!" Inuyasha yelled back at the wailing child. Sango moved to comfort the child as he and Kikyo went over their strategic plan.  
  
"If we can't find water, the only other supply is within the ship. We cannot stay there long, Inuyasha, we just can't. We will die. . ."  
  
"Shut up, Kikyo! You think I do not know that? Of course I know that, you idiot. I will not die for them." He said the last part just above a whisper, not loud enough for her to hear him.  
  
They stared like that for a while, not caring that there was movement deep under ground. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Miroku sat, under his shady umbrella, drinking his scotch that was aged to perfection. He did not drink because he liked being drunk, quite the contrary actually. He enjoyed collecting fine wines and liquors from all over the world, but when people heard the words "liquor" and "collection" in the same sentence, they immediately thought "drunk". It was a curse.  
  
Such was his fascination with women, or so it seemed. He had taken quite a liking to the woman who had come along with them, Sango, and he thought that she was quite beautiful. He had a small problem with "groping" them as well, which coincidently did not conflict with his religion in the least bit. How perfect it all was.  
  
Therefore, as was mentioned before, he sat, high in his beach chair, waiting for his companions to return. He was so preoccupied with his drink and his waiting, that he barely even noticed the shadow creeping along the ship's hull towards him. Barely. . .  
  
He jumped up, knowing all to well that his friends would not have been back this fast. He jumped down from his perch, leaving behind his fine wines, and walked to where he saw the shadow pass. He felt uneasy, and he sensed something was watching him. She was, and she could see him perfectly well from her dark perch above his head. She would be content simply to scare him for now. She would so much more later.  
  
She experimentally dangled her knife from where she was sitting, waiting to see if his reflexes were at all sharp. Miroku heard the metal on metal sound hitting the pipes above him, and he turned slowly, a look of pure fear on his face. There, in front of him, was a ten-inch long knife dangling from the ceiling. He gasped, jumping backwards while clutching his chest. His hand reflexively went to cover his eyes, and he missed Kagome's hand coming down to snatch the knife back up. Then she jumped from her position to the seat Miroku had been a few minutes ago.  
  
Miroku had decided to inspect the pipes, trying to see the knife or the wielder, but to no avail.  
  
Kagome, seeing that this man had a fine taste in hard liquor; she began drinking a little at a time, while watching the man look aimlessly for something he was not going to find. It seemed that it would be a better time just to watch him then to go after the others. She grinned through her goggles and took a swig of his scotch.  
  
Then, the others came to her. 


	4. Just Walk Away

I do no own Inuyasha or any of the characters depicted in this story  
  
Dragondiva88 here! Thank you for being patient. These chapters are going very slowly, but they will still be just as good, I promise! In addition, as I have said before, these characters are going by the mindset of the characters in the movie. I know that they are out of character based on the series of Inuyasha anime and books, and I am sorry for that. I am only trying to make this story as closely related to the real movie as possible without breaking any copyright laws. Anyway, here is the next chapter to Pitch Black. Better get ready!  
  
Pitch Black  
  
Chapter 4: Just Walk Away  
  
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Inuyasha and the others came back with a hopeless look on their faces. It seemed that they had not found anything fruitful on their little trek. Miroku on the other hand had a ghostly pale expression on his face and he was staring at something behind all of them. Inuyasha was the first to break the silence.  
  
"What happened to you, monk? It looks like you've seen a ghost . . ."  
  
"Or a homicidal maniac, Inuyasha. Look-" Kikyo pointed upwards behind Inuyasha, and he turned slowly. There, sitting in a beach chair and staring down at the group menacingly, was Kagome, the convicted criminal, murderer, and all around mean person.  
  
"MY SCOTCH!" Miroku exclaimed. At this, Kagome threw down his empty bottle, along with several others that she had polished off in the short time. She had only left five at the most that had some alcohol in them. Kagome smiled at his misery. She could taste it on her tongue, and it was something that she had grown accustomed to. Miroku's disheartened expression did not last long after he took a glance at Kagome.  
  
Faster than anyone could blink he was up by the chair next to her. Her eyes widened when she noticed that he had her hands in his.  
  
"Would you bear my child?" he asked in the deepest sincerity. Sango was pulling him away in a flash, knowing all to well that Kagome would gladly slit his throat for his insolence. Inuyasha was behind Kagome as well, holding her back the minute he saw a flash of ivory come out of her pocket.  
  
"I'm going to KILL you MONK! Let go!" she yelled. Inuyasha knew that he could not hold her for long, for she was much stronger than he was. After a good deal of struggling, Inuyasha finally felt Kagome slow down. He did not notice the devious smile on her face. As soon as he let his guard down, Kagome suddenly turned around, slicing him with her bone knife. Inuyasha let go of her and watched her somersault back down to the desert floor with the greatest of ease. Then she pushed off the ground, jumping high and landing a great distance away.  
  
She turned around, lifting up her goggles as she sunk into the shadows of a nearby rock formation. Inuyasha had sworn that he had seen her eyes glow, and he was fixated on the spot where he had seen her disappear. Kikyo interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"We have to go after her. If it ends up that we have to stay here for awhile, she could be severely dangerous to us." Inuyasha began to grind his teeth again, a bad habit that he had picked up in his years with Kikyo. He knew she was right, though, so without hesitation, he turned to get his tranquilizer gun out of the ship.  
  
Kikyo, having had some personal experience with the criminal knew that she would not go down without a fight. She would probably beat Inuyasha, which would leave her in charge. She laughed internally at this, before walking behind Inuyasha to arm herself. She did not think anyone would come out unscathed in this battle.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome walked without caution through the shadows, not thinking even to watch her footing. She stepped in a dirt clod that crumbled under her boot completely, leaving a crevice below her. She looked down to inspect why the ground was so shallow, making sure to stay within the shadowed area in case she had been followed. She saw movement through her goggles, and lifted them to inspect it further.  
  
A shape, then a foot, then another and another passed the opening her foot had created, screeching and squawking as the light touched them. Kagome backed up to get away from the hideous things, but then bumped into something unexpected . . . Inuyasha. She put her black goggles down to mask her surprised expression before head butting him hard in the nose. While Inuyasha was recovering from the blow, she used him as a jumping off point, scrambling up his back and jumping high into the air, disappearing from sight once again.  
  
Inuyasha grumbled and murmured obscenities about the girl and his weakness before moving once again in the direction where Kagome had gone. She had broken his nose!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Inuyasha chased after Kagome's scent, leading him to an open stretch of desert about a quarter mile south of the ship. This was not going to be very pretty when open area was involved with Kagome's whereabouts. He must have missed something . . .  
  
Suddenly he fell into a cavern beneath his feet, and as the ground gave way, he lost his gun to the world above. He landed in a heap of soil and dust at the bottom of the crevice, a little dazed and confused as he hit the bottom. He rubbed his head and got up, looking at his surroundings, which were VERY unfamiliar. There were tunnels running all around him, and the looked dug out, not natural. This was very discomforting.  
  
He noticed that there was no light underneath except for that which he had made from the ceiling above, so he lit one of his emergency flares. That gave him some comfort at least. He made a move for one of the tunnels, slowly pawing his way around the walls and treading lightly to ensure that he would not fall again. When the tunnel led him to junctions of catacombs, he had begun to lose hope. Just then, a small hole to his right shined in his eye, signaling the appearance of light there. He ran to it, wanting to get out of there and trail Kagome again, but then his flare went out.  
  
"You get what you pay for, I guess." he thought aloud. It did not matter at the time, for he had found a way out, but it was far above his head. It would take some climbing, but he could get out.  
  
A sound . . . to his left, then another . . . to his right made him jump. It sounded like scratching. Inuyasha reached reflexively for his gun, but when he found it not to be there, he cursed and scrambled for the light source. As soon as he moved, however, large creatures jumped to block his way. He gasped at the sight of the thing, even if he could not make out its details in the dark.  
  
It was huge whatever it was. It smelled of dampness and rotting flesh that made Inuyasha's flesh crawl, as well as make him feel quite nauseous. He wanted to vomit, but could not, for the thing had him cornered against the wall. He could see its large eyes, hungry and cold. That was a combination that Inuyasha did not want to mess with. He hurriedly climbed up towards the light, hearing the things clawing up after him. The fright made his head cloudy, and his thoughts jumbled, so he did the only thing he could do.  
  
He screamed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome turned, her sharp, pointed ears picking up vibrations from below. Then she heard the scream. She turned, chasing after the noise quick as lightning. She knew who it was, but that did not matter, for she knew what lied in this planet, and if one had eaten, the others would expect to eat as well. This was not a risk she was willing to take.  
  
She came to a large mound of hollow dirt, where she could hear the screams becoming frantic. She looked down into a hole in the base of it, seeing Inuyasha with his back to her halfway up the inside of it, and a creature clawing at his leg. Without hesitation, she jumped down to the bottom, landing gracefully on both feet.  
  
The monsters had heard her approach, and left Inuyasha for the moment to take down the larger prey. She took out her knife and waited for them to make the first move while they circled around her, sizing her up. One of them lunged for her, and she promptly high-kicked it in the head, sending it back into the bottom of the wall to which Inuyasha was clinging. Seeing her back turned, the others came for her as well.  
  
She took down each one of them at a time, each one a different way. She dropkicked the second into a nearby wall, and sent three others all barreling into each other. After they were all down, she thought she was done with them, but she was far from correct. They all got back up again, and charged for her. She did the only thing that she could think of. She had brought two extra emergency flares, which she knew would be enough to get them out of there safely. She lit them, and watched how the creatures backed off as she did so. She never turned her back on them, and slowly climbed up the embankment after Inuyasha.  
  
In order to get up the wall, she had to show her blind spot to the aliens. She realized this too late, for she felt sharp teeth digging into her shoulder. She grimaced, trying to hold back a scream of pain, when she felt a sharp spear-type object slash her leg on the other side. She threw the flares at the creatures, and watched as the light scalded their flesh. She would use this against them later.  
  
Inuyasha climbed out of the hill of dirt slowly, and then allowed himself to roll down tiredly. Kagome followed him, but ran down the steep embankment rather than roll, for she had a lot more energy than he did. She towered over him, making sure that his bleeding had stop. Then she heard footsteps . . . a little too late. A second later, she was thrown down onto the sand, a large blow to her head causing her to have a headache. With her goggles missing, all she could do was shade her eyes from the approaching sun, but even without her sight, she could still recognize the laughter that was over her.  
  
"You did a nice job with Inuyasha, but now I'm going to have the credit for bringing you back in." Kikyo looked up, and saw the others approaching quickly.  
  
"Time for my acting lessons to pay off . . ." Kikyo muttered into Kagome's ears. She pulled Kagome up roughly, throwing her goggles back at her carelessly. Then when Kagome could see again, Kikyo pointed her gun at her face, yelling loudly and exaggeratedly.  
  
"What have you done to Inuyasha? Tell me now, or I swear to God that I will blow your-" She did not have enough time to finish her little show. She had not counted on Kagome having anything other than her knife with her at the time, so when she felt the barrel of an automatic weapon pressed to her temple she froze. She looked at Kagome, her face snow white with foreboding. Kagome had a smile on her face.  
  
"Just walk away, Kikyo. Just walk away and I will not shoot you in whatever brain you have left. Just walk . . . away . . ." Kagome had underestimated the amount of blood she had lost in the fight, and she fainted over Inuyasha limply. Kikyo sighed and looked at the others, for help as she motioned to drag Kagome and Inuyasha back to the ship. Miroku moved to pick up Kagome, but Sango saw his hands moving a little too close to a certain private part of her anatomy, so she pushed him out of the way.  
  
"I've got this one. You take Inuyasha." she said slyly. Miroku made a pouting face, and feigned innocence.  
  
"Why Sango, it seems that you do not trust me with Miss Kagome. I wish that you would put more faith in me, Lovely Sango, for I-"  
  
"Can it." Sango cut him off abruptly as she drug Kagome over her shoulder and proceeded to trudge back. Miroku sighed, obviously put off that she had not let him finish, but did as he was told and carried Inuyasha with the help of his cohorts, the small apprentices. Kikyo led them, and Shippo just looked around, as confused as ever.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Okay, I just saw this movie again last night, and now I know that I am way off in some of the plot line. So next chapter I am going to fix some of that. Anyway, I hope Miroku is a little more "In Character" in this chapter. The only reason he wasn't in the last one was because he really didn't speak a lot. Anyway, the next chapter of "Pitch Black" is "Whispers". (^_^) 


	5. Author's Note 1

I do not own Inuyasha!

Author's Note 1:

OK- Since I have not really updated on Pitch Black, I was just wondering if anyone really WANTED me to.  Therefore, if you like the story, here is your chance.  

Just put your opinion in your reviews, or you can directly e-mail me and tell me from there.  I have rather lost my excitement with this story, so if you really like the story, and want it to keep going, then let me know.  If not, then I will continue with "The Island" and "The Thorn".  Just tell me so that I can have some kind of idea what my readers want (not like there is many anyway). 

I am going to hold off on "The Thorn" until I get "The Island" up to par, so if I do not update for a while, then that is the reason.  Anyway, I hope that the readers of "The Island" are happy.  (^_^)

                                                                                    ~Dragon~


	6. Shippo's Idol

I do not own Inuyasha!

Dragondiva88 here!  Due to the VERY popular demand of this story to continue, I will do as I am asked.  For those of you who have not read this story recently, this chapter picks-up where Kagome blacked out and Inuyasha had an incident with the mysterious creatures in the chasm.  They have been dragged back to the ship.  This chapter is also where the story becomes more along the lines of the movie.  Oh, and yes, I will be "temporarily" killing off one of the main characters, but that is all I am telling you now.  You will just have to wait and see later on . . . much later on.  Anyway, here is the next chapter in the saga of the unfortunate crew.  (^_^)

**Pitch Black**

**Chapter 6:  Shippo's Idol**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pain . . . that was a feeling she had not experienced in a while.  It shot throughout every limb and every muscle in her body, each form of it searing hot and vivid.  These creatures must have been poisonous.  She struggled to get up, but the stinging of the cuts and bruises kept her preoccupied as the cold desert air reached them from one of the holes in the cargo bay.  Yet again, she noticed, she was attached to the ship, although her bindings were lazier than before.  Her reputable smirk returned to her lips.  That was the last time she tried to save someone.  Her goggles had been replaced, and she tested the hold on her arms that the loose chains had.  They could be easily broken, which left her to wonder why they had ignored the precautions that they had taken earlier.  Maybe saving the hanyou had been beneficial after all.  

Kagome sat, once again, in the darkness of the ship's cargo bay, letting the darkness heal all of her wounds thoroughly. It took no time at all, for the darkness in the pit of this ship was especially potent.  She breathed deeply, and crossed her legs, awaiting the inevitable visit from Inuyasha, begging her to tell him why she had spared him a gruesome death.  She liked to think of it, however, as a ticket off this rock.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Inuyasha came back into consciousness much faster than Kagome had, for her injuries had been a lot for anyone to handle by themselves.  He brooded in the front cockpit, hands clasped, and brow furrowed.  He was utterly, and totally confused.  

The actions that had happened the night before were a blur, and thinking about them gave him a headache.  He cursed loudly as another round of throbbing distracted him once again and he rubbed his head absent-mindedly.  He had decided long ago that he would not try to reason out what she had done, or how for that matter, but he would try to get some answers about who she was, and what those creatures were.  He figured that that was the best option.  His dog-like ears flicked back into the direction she was being stored in, and he knew that she had woken up.  Now would be perfect to talk to her without interruptions.  Besides, the crew and Kikyo were gone from sight, and they would not be back for some time.  

He entered quickly, not seeing where she was until a pair of phosphoric eyes opened and began to blink in the dark.  Inuyasha stormed out in front of her, an annoyed look etched on his face.  Kagome chuckled lightly and crossed her arms.  

"Now I know you want to talk about what happened last night, so why don't you just get on with it?"  she said.  Inuyasha just stared at her, trying not to let out any un-subtle signals that would alert her to anything.  When he did not answer her, she shrugged her shoulders and looked away from his face thoughtfully.

"So you think Kikyo is a straight shooter?  You think she'd let me go . . . or let any of us off this rock without her as the hero?"  She turned back to him and saw that he was not looking at her anymore.  She took this as doubt.  

"She isn't as innocent as she sounds you know.  She-"

"You aren't going to turn us against each other.  I won't let you."  

Kagome looked at him for a moment, and then laughed whole-heartedly at his words.

"I have no reason to try.  She will show her spots eventually.  Her kind always does."  

A noise by the stairs behind Inuyasha alerted them both suddenly.

"Wow, where can I get eyes like that?"  It was Shippo, obviously having returned early from the trip with his comrades.  He was halfway down the stairs, looking in awe at Kagome's eyes, although wary of the danger he might have been in.

"I ought to wring your neck, you little . . ." Inuyasha growled from his spot in front of Kagome.  Shippo stuck out his tongue at the older demon before turning his attention back to Kagome expectantly.

"Well", Kagome began, "you have to kill a couple of no-name people, then they have to throw you in a prison where they tell you that you will never see the light of day again.  You scrounge up a doctor, and get him to do a virtual shine-job on your eyeballs."

"So no one can sneak up on you in the dark, right?"  Shippo said expectantly.

"Exactly."  

Inuyasha had had enough of this, and he ushered Shippo out of the room.  He turned back to Kagome, anticipated, for it was not likely that he had forgotten about her comment about Kikyo so easily.  She simply rolled her eyes over to him and smiled slyly.

"Cute kid."  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I know- very short chapter.  I just wanted to have something that would please the masses who really demanded an update on this story.  I also wanted some dialogue between Kagome and Shippo before the real plot was going to begin.  You know what I mean, right?  Well anyway, the next chapter is going to be a lot longer and a lot more involved.  See ya then!

                                                                                                ~*Madison*~ 


	7. The Find

I do not own Inuyasha.  
  
Dragondiva88 here, yet again! Currently, I am sitting in a hotel suite in Busch Gardens. Doesn't it sound fun? Anyway, I've already completed another installment of my other fic, The Island, so I figured, to kill some time, I'd add another chapter to this one instead. Hell, I like reading my reviews, and when they stop, I have nothing to read! It gets boring, really.   
  
Also, the part about Kagome's past was NOT in the movie. I'm making that up as I go along. So, to end my boring hotel time, or at least delay it, here's the next chapter to Pitch Black.   
  
(This fic is rated R for violent detail content.)  
  
============================  
  
Pitch Black  
  
Chapter 7: The Find  
  
============================  
  
A smile crept to Kagome's lips as she sat in the darkness of her confinement. 'Here again . . .' she thought. Crossing her arms and sitting back, she licked her lips. At that very moment, the captain Inuyasha was probably racing off to question Kikyo about her intentions.   
  
It was working out better than she could have hoped.   
  
============================  
  
And that was exactly how it was going too.   
  
After Inuyasha's meeting with Kagome, a slight twinge of doubt was planted in the back of his mind. He had always suspected that there was more to Kikyo than what everyone saw, and now, with Kagome's slight antagonizing, he wanted to find out if that was the case.   
  
Direct questioning would not have been the right approach- that he knew. And sneaking around behind her wouldn't work out so well either, considering the fact that he knew she was cautious all the time. He would have to wait until she let her guard down, and then tail her when she was unsuspecting. He nodded his head thoughtfully where he sat. He would eventually get his opportunity.  
  
When Kagome was put back into bondage, the entire camp had calmed down. Miroku had taken his apprentices to a small corner and discussed the importance of alcohol. That was due to the fact that Kagome drank all of his 'secret stash'.   
  
Shippo and Sango had decided to try and salvage the parts of the ship that were worth keeping, which wasn't much. A few spare fuel tanks, a few engine filters, and the five rotary engines; that was about it. The sun and the sand continued to get worse by the hour, not helping the condition of the ship as a housing unit.   
  
Great, just great.  
  
Kikyo, on the other hand, was glancing around nervously as she wrote down a few notes in the progress reports. Inuyasha's gaze never left her.   
  
Getting up, she cleared her throat and placed the clipboard under her arm. "I'm going to go and check the food supplies." she said, wiping her brow. Everyone nodded, and she made a hasty exit.   
  
Inuyasha wasn't too far behind.   
  
When she stepped behind the sheltered shadow of the ship's hull, she pulled a vile from her pocket, as well as a syringe. Inuyasha's eyes widened with realization.   
  
Kikyo was a drug addict.   
  
As she pulled the syringe from her arm, she sank down, the buzz of the drug racing through her veins and taking hold. Inuyasha came from the shadows, picking up the vile from the ground. He sniffed it, and shook his head in disgust. "Morphine, Kikyo?" he said, slamming the vile on the ground. She looked up at him, a dreamy smile on her face. She said nothing.   
  
Inuyasha picked her up, standing her on her feet. "Is this how you got to where you are?" he asked her, sickened by her state. She laughed.   
  
"Well we can't all be gifted like you." she spat at his face. Inuyasha dropped her, revolted. Walking away, he entered the galley to get some coffee. God, he hated Kikyo.  
  
A few minutes later, Kikyo entered, sitting down in one of the chairs by the small, ash gray refrigerator. She looked at Inuyasha with a mixture of hatred and embarrassment. Inuyasha said nothing, but sipped his coffee lightly. She broke the silence.  
  
"I-"  
  
"I have nothing to say to you." Inuyasha said bluntly, cutting her off. He had seen enough to know whom his trust was with, and it was not with Kikyo at the moment. She sighed angrily, her brows furrowing in frustration.   
  
"You know, that bitch Kagome isn't as trustworthy and loyal as she 's making herself out to be. She is a convicted killer." she snarled. "Do you even know how she escaped the last penitentiary she was in?"   
  
Inuyasha looked at her, showing that he was interested. His ears flicked over in her direction as she wiped her brow again.   
  
She told him Kagome's story . . .well, the story of how she got into prison in the first place anyway. It started with an unclear past, and a bad neighborhood.   
  
The city she was originally from was New York, and she grew up in one of the worst slums. Kagome had always had brushes with the law, and she was on the number one hit list for other criminals in the area. For starters, she was the leader of the most prominent gang in the city, making her a wanted woman.   
  
And for awhile, that was all she was- just another black spot on the city's blank sheet of paper. She was just an empty threat. That is, until, the murders started.   
  
When Kagome was in her prime, and when the gang was at the peak of its strength, she pulled a stunt. This stunt, was something that no one expected her to do, and it cost her everything.   
  
Being sick of mediocrity, and of the rival gangs, Kikyo explained that Kagome lashed out at the only thing she hadn't lashed out at yet . . . her own family. In Kikyo's words, Kagome thought that slaughtering them made her a bad ass, so she did it . . .violently and bloodily. Kagome was found, standing above her parents and her little brother, out of breath and with blood on her claws.   
  
She pleaded innocent in a court of law, but was found guilty by the Supreme Court, and was sentenced to life in jail on a prison ship located near Venus. There, she spent six years, during which time, she had an operation performed by an unlicensed doctor upon her eyes. Kikyo also added one other piece of information to the story.  
  
"She's a pilot?!" Inuyasha exclaimed.   
  
Kikyo nodded. "It seems that her father was ex-military. She jacked a second-rate ship, and made her way back to Earth." She stopped, looking Inuyasha in the face. "She doesn't need us, Inuyasha. She'll kill us the first chance she gets."   
  
Inuyasha hadn't even imagined that her story could have been so brutal. Kagome was almost predestined to be a killer. He sat back, thinking as Kikyo watched him warily. Just then, Shippo came rushing through the door of the galley.  
  
"You guys, we found something! You need to come look at this!" he yelled.   
  
Inuyasha didn't even pass Kikyo a passing glance as he ran in the direction Shippo had scampered off to. In the distance, Inuyasha could see . . .trees?  
  
No, not trees. What were they? Rushing towards them, Inuyasha could make out the glimmer of the sunlight that reflected. Metal? Inuyasha wasn't sure.   
  
He ran closer, stumbling a bit on a sand dune. Yes, they were man-made. In fact, there was a campsite to go along with it. He stood above the camp, on a cliff that overlooked it, and shielded his eyes from the metal glare of the sun. "What is it?" he yelled down to Sango, who was below him. She looked up from where she was crouched.  
  
"Looks like a campsite. Archaeologist expedition." Jabbing a thumb towards a large metal structure in the middle, she nodded to Inuyasha. "Water source." she said, smiling. It seemed that the people who were there before had planned on staying there for awhile.   
  
Inuyasha smiled down to her, sliding down the steep embankment. "At least we don't have to worry about water anymore.," he said, optimistically. Sango smiled, wiping her brow. She turned her attention to the rest of the camp, trying to find some means for getting off the rock they were stuck on. Inuyasha was happy with the find. "Hey, Kikyo, what . . .do you . . ." he stopped, turning around to find that Kikyo hadn't followed him. What was she doing?  
  
============================  
  
"I'm sick of chasing you, Kagome." Kikyo said to her, her hands on her hips. "I'm sick of cat and mouse. I want this to end."   
  
Kagome looked at the woman, her dark eyes sweeping her ever before shutting. She inhaled. "What do you propose to do?" she asked in her smooth voice.   
  
Kikyo shrugged. "If you help us get off this rock, I let you go and let someone else try and catch you." She looked away. "I'm done." she added. Kagome smiled, her fangs glittering in the darkness. She moved her shoulders so that Kikyo could unhook her chains. Finally, she was getting a break in life.   
  
Suddenly, Kikyo grabbed the front of Kagome's shirt. "You get in my way before your job is done, I kill you." she snarled quietly. When she let go, Kagome looked at her, smiling at her anger. She got up and put on her goggles.   
  
"Don't worry, princess." Kagome whispered, "If anyone is going to die on this planet, it's you." She grabbed her knife and gun and shoved them into their proper places on her belt, striding away and raking a clawed hand through her raven hair.   
  
Stepping out into the sunlight, Kagome blinked and shielded her eyes, despite her goggles. Fifteen hours of solitary confinement in the dark left her eyes weak and vulnerable to sunlight. She kept walking forward, following Inuyasha and the other's trail towards the other camp. She began humming a tune, smiling as she reached the others.   
  
'Show time . . .' she thought, licking her lips.   
  
Kikyo was trailing her, making it look like she had something to do, which wasn't true. In reality, she had no idea what to do, and the rich-girl lifestyle had in no way prepared her for what she was going through now.   
  
Kagome glanced back at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking . . . poor little rich girl.   
  
Inuyasha noticed Kikyo from a distance, walking towards her, but then hesitating when Kagome made her presence known. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well if it isn't the captain . . .long time, no see." she remarked sarcastically. Inuyasha was not impressed.   
  
"What is she doing here?" he asked Kikyo through gritted teeth. "I thought that we just talked about this."   
  
Before Kikyo could respond, a scream echoed through the camp. Immediately after the scream was heard, Kagome was immediately looked at with a blaming look. She smirked and shrugged innocently, resting one of her guns on her shoulder, looking out to the direction of the horrid shriek.   
  
Inuyasha growled in frustration as he took off over the sand dune to the scream's origin, Kikyo close behind. Kagome just stared that annoying yet seductive smirk still plastered on her pale face.   
  
"I don't understand why everyone automatically assumes its me . . ." she whispered to no one in particular. This was meant to be a joke, but she was probably the only one who would think it was funny.   
  
============================  
  
It was the smell that hit him first. Inuyasha covered his nose with his sleeve; his amber eyes flicking about the dark silo as the smell of death covered the cloth of his clothes. Kikyo gagged when the smell hit her, and she held her throat in disgust.   
  
"I have to open a window or something." she snarled, throwing herself at the lever that opened the hatch above her. As the light poured in, thousands of bat-like creatures burst out of a door to their right, causing Kikyo to duck and flop on the floor screaming. Inuyasha just stared at them, watching as they flew down a porthole that led into the sewer, screeching and squawking. He narrowed his eyes and covered his nose with his sleeve again, not even passing a glance to Kikyo as she lay on the ground whimpering and clutching her hair.   
  
Miroku and the others burst in through the door that Kikyo and Inuyasha had come in, stumbling over each other until they surrounded the dark doorway that the creatures had come from.  
  
There, consumed in shadow, the disemboweled body of Miroku's young apprentice lay huddled in a heap by the back wall.   
  
Miroku fell to his knees, the other two of his apprentices following his actions. He began to pray, several small tears falling down his cheeks. Inuyasha couldn't blame him.   
  
"What could have done this?" he asked to no one in particular, looking over the mangled body and witnessing the torment that the boy had been in:  
  
His skin was almost completely gone, save for a few scraps that had been left by the carnivorous creatures. The blood- stained white of bone stuck out in patches amongst his corpse, and his clothes had been torn to pieces. It was now clear what could have done that. It was the same creatures that had almost ended his life . . .just smaller.   
  
Kikyo began to wretch as her eyes beheld the body, and Sango merely turned away, hiding her face from view with her hands. This was how Kagome found them. She leaned on the doorframe, her goggle-hidden eyes finally settling on the boy's corpse. She simply smirked disinterestedly.   
  
"I guess they got to him before I could . . ." she joked. Inuyasha and the others didn't find it particularly funny.  
  
Inuyasha ran up to her, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and bringing her face inches from his. He snarled at her, his eyes blazing.   
  
"Who are 'They'?" he growled, his claws digging into the cloth of her black shirt. She snapped her teeth at him, smirking toothily as he winced. She pushed his hands off of her, once again propping her gun on her shoulder.   
  
"The ones whose property we're sitting on." she said simply. Inuyasha snorted, looking away. He had had enough of her backward answers. Maybe it was time to explore the camp more thoroughly.   
  
============================  
  
They had decided to bury the boy where he lay, for none of them wanted to handle the corpse for more than a second at a time. Miroku was a wreck, but it was just the same with him too. What he wouldn't give for his best liquor again.  
  
Inuyasha asked Sango, Shippo, and Kikyo to come with him when he went about the campsite, leaving Kagome alone with the rest of them. Kikyo made sure that she stayed out of trouble, warning her with a nasty look as she passed by her. Kagome chuckled lightly, crossing her legs in her seat by the shaded area next to the ship. Shippo was given explicit orders to keep an eye on her. Big mistake.  
  
"So how did you kill them? Did you drink their blood? Was it fun? What was jail like? Was THAT fun?"   
  
The questions buzzed about her head as Shippo rambled on, but she kept her complaints to herself, answering each one with a yes or no answer only. Now she remembered why she had never been fond of children.  
  
Getting up, she looked around, making sure that the monk and his disciples were indisposed, and began stepping through the camp at her own leisure.   
  
"You aren't supposed to be leaving . . ." Shippo commented, tagging along behind her.   
  
"I do a lot of things that I'm not supposed to do." Kagome replied, sticking her hands in her pockets.   
  
Shippo shrugged, bounding off after her, interested in what she was doing. After all, she was his idol. Kagome just smirked, happy to have some company with her on her little 'expedition', even if it was a little kid. Soon, however, Kagome lost Shippo somewhere in the camp. Not that she cared, mind you.   
  
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As for the rest of the illustrious crew, they had decided to search the rooms and files that the camp still had remaining. Obviously, people had been there, but what happened to them? Where were their remains? These questions baffled them all, but most of all, Inuyasha.   
  
By now, dust and wind began to grate on his form, and his entire disposition was full of annoyance and frustration. This Inuyasha was not someone that anyone would want to hang around too long. That was certain. What was not certain was the random and puzzling thoughts that accompanied the general ones inside of Inuyasha's usually clear and precise mind. Kagome- now there was a challenge all in itself. She confused him to no end, and yet . . .he was strangely drawn to her, like moth to flame. He could not put his finger on it. Was it love?   
  
Hardly. There was just something about her eyes . . . her style . . . her attitude. Plus the fact that she hated Kikyo. He couldn't leave THAT out. Either way, she was a convicted killer, and she could not be trusted, no matter what. He just had to keep telling himself that . . .  
  
In a cabin on the right side of the camp, the others had made themselves busy by trying to find clues about the disappearance of the people there. Sango was currently bent over a sample of the archaeological findings that the people had when Inuyasha found her.   
  
"What have we got?" he asked her, furrowing his brows. Sango shook her head, picking up and reading each of the labels while answering.   
  
"Looks like an archaeological dig. These people were trying to mine for resources. But..."   
  
"But what?" Inuyasha asked, leaning in for a closer look.   
  
"Everything ended on September 2. The digging, the research- it all disappeared. " She looked at him, holding up a label with a date on it. "That's tomorrow."   
  
Inuyasha took the label between two clawed fingertips, looking at it and flipping his pointed ears in its direction. "What does it mean?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Sango said, turning away. Looking back at him, she took out her gun and cocked it. "We have to get our supplies ready."  
  
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Wow, that was a long one, wasn't it? Anyway, I am working on a new fic to put out soon, and its pretty much like all my other ones. Oh well, I suppose they can't all be winners, can they? SEE YOU SOON! 


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